Lebanon’s tourism sector has taken a major hit from the recent military escalation, industry officials said, warning that the latest tensions have led to a surge in booking cancellations, particularly among European and Arab tourists.

The timing of the escalation was especially damaging, as it coincided with the Eid al-Fitr holiday—a crucial period when businesses were counting on an influx of tourists and expatriates to boost economic activity.

Jean-Claude Hawat, head of the Tourist Guides Syndicate, emphasized the urgent need for security and political stability to revive the country’s struggling tourism industry.

“The latest Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs has led to a significant number of European and Arab tourists postponing their trips to Lebanon,” Hawat told Voice of Lebanon radio.

Pierre Al-Ashkar, head of the Federation of Tourism Syndicates and the Hotel Owners’ Syndicate, echoed these concerns, blaming recurrent instability for crippling Lebanon’s tourism sector.

“We keep facing the same problem,” Al-Ashkar said. “Every time we see economic and tourism growth, a group stirs up military tensions, giving Israel a pretext to bomb Beirut.”

He stressed that war remains the biggest threat to tourism, both in Lebanon and globally.

"As a syndicate, we were not given our due place in the ministerial statement," Al-Ashkar added. "We have voiced our concerns to the government and the president because tourism is the key sector that can put Lebanon back on the economic map. The only way to achieve this is by implementing Resolution 1701 and ensuring that weapons are solely in the hands of the Lebanese army—because security is the foundation of tourism."